What exam?
by ThisbeHecate
Summary: Harry doesn't study... think that stops him from getting an 'O? Seventeenth in the potions homework series!


A/N: Sorry this took soooo long to come out! Took me a while to put this idea together.

So, still, don't own a thing, so don't sue, you'll just get a headache. :)

* * *

Harry looked up as Snape made his way around the room handing out the test papers. He completely forgot about the exam today. He forgot, somehow, even with Hermione reminding him every two seconds for the past week. With confidence he didn't feel he flashed a huge, toothy grin at the potions professor as he was handed his copy of the exam.

Glancing down at the writing on the parchment Harry felt his sliver of confidence, and his stomach, drop lower still. The test was one long list. The instructions simply read:

_For the following, indicate the location of each:_

And below that was a list of about a hundred different plants used in potions. Harry quickly scanned the list, searching for any he knew. He scribbled a few answers in and once he reached the bottom he looked back to the top of the list, thinking he made a good dent in the list, and to his horror saw he hadn't even answered ten!

Once again Harry made his way down the list, slower this time, taking him time to carefully read each name. He was able to answer a few more, confident in the answers. He answered a few more, not quite as sure as the rest, but feeling good that he may have recalled the answer correctly. And still he hadn't answered a third of the plants on the test.

Becoming more and more frustrated, Harry reread the names listed even more slowly than before. This time as he did, he realized something. Every single item on the parchment was a plant he had used in class.

Slowly, and carefully, Harry lifted his eyes from the sheet in front of him, his gaze rising to the front of the class. Coming to a rest on his professor who was seated at his desk at the head of the room working silently correcting papers. With an evil grin spreading across his face, Harry dropped his eyes back to his own work, crumpled up his original answer sheet, grabbed a new one, and quickly filled in the entire sheet.

* * *

**Next potions class**

"A T?" Hermione shrieked in the silence of the class so loudly that, had everyone been speaking, they would have heard her regardless.

"Gee, thanks, Hermione," Harry said, his face bright red as the entire class turned to stare, "I don't think everyone heard you up in the Great Hall."

"Sorry," she mumbled quietly, clearly embarrassed, although for herself or Harry, Harry didn't know.

"But... Harry," Hermione continued, "What kind of answers are these?" She was looking at Harry's exam still and after every line her eyebrows hitched higher and higher on her face until they looked in danger of becoming lost in her hair.

"Correct ones," Harry said confidently. He snatched the paper out of Hermione's hand and although the bell had yet to ring and Snape had not given him permission to leave Harry dashed from the room and out of the dungeon.

* * *

**Five minutes later  
**

Snape was just going over the answers to his exam answering any questions the students may have had when suddenly his classroom door suddenly slammed open causing the students, and professor, to jump in surprise. His head held high, a grin stretched across his face, Harry reentered the room. Just as Snape was taking a deep breath to berate the student, a second person entered behind the unruly student. Stepping in behind Harry and placing a hand on his shoulder was the headmaster. He stood serenely behind the boy, with a small smile, and that damned twinkle in his eye.

"Severus! Just who I needed to see!" Dumbledore spoke before the potions professor had a chance to catch his breath after having lost it from fright of the door slamming open. "I need you to come with young Harry and I." Looking around at the other students, Dumbledore spoke to them, "Class is dismissed, you may go."

Without waiting for assent from their actual professor, the students quickly packed up and ran for the door before Snape could assign them any homework for the weekend.

"What is this about, Headmaster?" Snape asked Dumbledore between clenched teeth, not even daring to glance down at Harry, fearful that he may just throttle the boy.

"I'm not quite sure myself, all I know is that Harry said he doesn't deserve a 'T', but an 'O'. And that he can prove it." Dumbledore replied.

Snape glared down at Harry, who glanced up at his professor and sent him a dazzling smile, and made a 'follow me' gesture, and led the way out of the classroom.

* * *

**Hogwarts Greenhouse**

"Headmaster, you know this is NOT what I meant!" Snape raged at Dumbledore as Harry calmly and patiently pointed out all 110 plants that were on the exam that he located in the greenhouse the night before."I wanted the location in the world, the country! The region! The type of CLIMATE! If I wanted something like this, why not just have all the students write down 'POTIONS CABINET'?'"

"Oh," Harry said, "I hadn't thought of that."

He and Dumbledore locked gazes and both said at the same time:

"Next exam."

"Well, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly as he walked Harry from the greenhouse, "looks like Harry here was correct. He DOES deserve an 'O'. Be a sport, will you, and change it."

* * *

A/N2:

Ok, not all that great. But I got a chuckle out of it.

PLEASE... R&R!!


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